


The Get Together

by BrainTwo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas In September | Christmas Out Of Season, First Kiss, M/M, My First Fanfic, Why Did I Write This?, sorry english is not my native language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26660893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrainTwo/pseuds/BrainTwo
Summary: Basically it’s Stan and Charlie being awkward and finally getting the guts to tell each other how they feel... Oh, and Harry adding to the awkwardness.
Relationships: Charlie Weasley/Stan Shunpike





	The Get Together

He had known Stan since, like, forever! They had known each other back in school, had held contact afterwards and now, whenever Charlie got the chance to visit his family he would ride the Knight Bus.  
He'd hold out his wand and wait only seconds for the telltale sound of the bus arriving. Every time he would be greeted by a little bit less spotty face as the time before but the few sentences that Stanley recited and the grin were always the same.  
Charlie was always impressed by his friends ability to not stagger, not stumble, not fall, to not even sway even if the bus jolted, jumped and rattled like an angry bull. If the redhead hadn't known that the conductor couldn't even cast a simple Aguamenti correctly, he would have thought that he had cast some spells on himself to be as untouched by those things...  
Anyway, years and years had gone by with talking, laughing, playing cards and some more talking and his feelings for his most of the time purple-wearing friend had somewhat changed. What had started with a funny feeling in his stomach had formed into thoughts about dating, kissing or travelling around the world together... The first two things being ones that he had never before thought about with another person, it was strange for him, feeling like that.

Shortly before Christmas, a thick, white blanket made out of fluffy snow covered Great Britain and Charlie called the Knight Bus to take him to his parents... Well, not directly, he'd ask for the long way around.  
The bus was warm and decorated with colourful garlands and cushions, it felt cozy... The ride took nearly half an hour. It seemed like, after the war, the bus had become a common way of getting from A to B not only for the stranded witch or wizard.  
When Ernie called his stop, Charlie took a small present out of his pocket and gave it to Stan, assuming that he wouldn't see him till after Christmas. He wished his friend a nice Christmas Eve and a happy new year, when he found out, that said man would spend his Christmastime alone. While the doors started to close Charlie asked the blonde, out of an impulse, to join his family and some other friends on the upcoming feast.  
Only when the sound of the violently purple bus leaving resonated in his head, he realised that he'd finally have to tell his family of this very specific friendship, of Stanley Shunpike and the reason why he was always late for family meetings.

After knocking on the door of his childhood home he was greeted by Molly who pulled him into a warm embrace, before pulling him into the living room: "Charlie, haven't seen ya for a long time!", Fred had been sitting on a chair with his back to the door but turned around grinning at Charlie happily. One could see the scars on his face and overall body vanish more and more from time to time: "Hey...", Charlie went and hugged his battered sibling before greeting all the others: "Before I forget about it, a long time friend of mine, Stan, will be over for Christmas, but only if that is alright for everyone.", he raised an eyebrow looking around before clapping his hands ones and nodding: "Alright, okay, good...", he sat down on the ground, next to Bill, when his niece Victoire came running over and nearly tackled him to the ground: "Oncle Charlie!", she squealed happily and positioned herself majestically in his lap, while Ron shook his head in amusement: "I'm a little bit disappointed that she didn't greet me like that...", "Don't be, it's just that she can't see Charlie as often as she has you around." "As if I wouldn't know that!", the evening went by way to quickly with light bickering between the siblings... Just as quickly Christmas Day was there and the great bustling inside of the burrow reached it's great final around 10 a.m., shortly before the guests were to arrive. And they did arrive, way to punctual and way to loaded with presents. The atmosphere was cheerful, but Charlie was to concentrated on the door to take notice of what was going on around him: "What are you waiting for?", Harry, eggnog glass in hand, stood beside him and was now, cheerful like the atmosphere as he was as well concentrating all his senses on the wooden door: „Um... For Stan to arrive.“, Harry raised an eyebrow at that, before taking a seat next to the redhead and continuing their conversation: „Am I right in assuming that you are talking about Stan Shunpike?“, Charlie only nodded and took a sip from his glass of water. „Do you know why he is not here yet?“, A shake of head: „Not very talkative today, aye? Maybe he has gotten stuck in traffic... Or he didn’t get the shift of... or he is ill, not unusual around Christmas...“, „Harry, please, don’t feed my imagination at the moment, go talk to Ron or Neville, they have been trying to get your attention for a while now, I’m good, really.“, The older male laughed and stood, intend on getting something better to drink then water while waiting and maybe having a chat with his father, when a all to known sound was to be heard from outside...

Stan had been thinking about Charlie’s offer ever since the doors of the bus had closed before the last word had reached his ears. Why he had taken so long in deciding if he wanted to spend Christmas in a loving, boisterous family’s home or his own scarcely decorated flat, was quiet the mystery to himself... Oh well, not really. It had been a decision made on the account of if he would be able to resist the tuck of just telling Charlie how he felt and lose all dignity or not. He had come to the conclusion that he could do this, even if the setting was a little bit more comfortable and homey than the Knight bus.  
Said conclusion had then led to some other problems. First of all, he didn’t have any halfway good looking clothes and a haircut might be a good idea as well. Second, his shifts, he would have to talk to some of his coworkers if he wanted to arrive at the Burrow at a slightly normal hour and finally: he needed a small present at the very least...  
As it turned out, shopping in muggle London was easier for him than stumbling through Diagonally, and knowing that Arthur Weasley had a fondness for muggle artifacts he felt like he was browsing the right shopfronts.  
On the topic of clothes he had walked into a shop that he knew sold secondhand attire and had asked the slightly bored looking cashier for recommendations for the specific event that he laid out for her. As it turned out, the girl was actually pretty nice and didn’t ask risky questions when he did or said things that apparently weren’t all that common. Additionally she gave him a small discount when his planned in money for clothes didn’t cover all the pieces.  
Stepping out into the cold decemberair and into the thick traffic of hurrying people, Stan carried a crumbled piece of paper with a phonenumber and a bag with a simple white shirt, a pair of dark gray jeans, a purple suit jacket that was green on the inside (Jennett, that was the cashiers name, had told him that it was originally part of a costume for a „Joker-Cosplay“, whatever that was, but had agreed that it looked quiet good on him) and fitting purple suit shoes. She had tried to sell him a scarf as well but he had declined and informed her that he was stocked in that department at the very least. As that was taken care of, he whisked off to get a book on model making, and indian recipes... He was really improvising there, but he had never meet Charlie’s family before and only had said males tales for input.  
„Very well, all set, of home we go.“  
That was around five days ago... Now he wasn’t nearly as happy and carefree as he had been then, because now, he was standing in front of the Burrow and now he would have to go knock and hell if that wasn’t somehow frightening.  
Nervously tucking on his freshly cut and washed hair, he took his first steps away from the place the Knight bus had just disappeared from and just as he wanted to knock... 

Charlie nearly dropped his glass in his rather inelegant heist to get to the door. Before pulling it open, he chanced a look into a mirror and gave himself a mental thumps up, here we go!  
Introducing Stan to his family and friends wasn’t as awkward as the ginger would have expected, which was probably partly caused by Stan bringing presents which were surprisingly well chosen... But then, the real trouble began... A whole long evening sitting right beside each other, talking, playing little games and maybe even drinking some alcoholic refreshments once in a while...  
As it was, the evening turned out very well, but when it was time to go home for Stan, he was just drunk enough for Molly to suggest that he stay over night like everybody else. So he did.

Swaying up the stairs, Stan was guided to a bedroom which he would share with Charlie. Even though he had originally protested against the idea of staying at the Burrow, he was now, as he felt the consumed alcohol kick in, rather thankful for not having to go back home.  
The room was really plain and looked like it had once been something other than a master’s bedroom... there was a double bed... it was the only bed... Stan turned around to where he thought Charlie to be and was greeted by the sight of exposed, tannend skin, littered by lots of little scars and some really colourful tattoos. The Ginger was half way into his pyjamas, his bare upper body turned away from Stan, who was momentarily tripping over his own words. Before said ginger pulled on a Shirt and flopped down onto the bed...

„Stan?“, Talking into the pillow was way easier than looking at the other male and keeping his cool: „you coming? Or do you want to stay up the whole night?“, the blonde jerked like he had been chasing a dream, but proceeded to strip down to his boxers and slip under the covers, as far away from his friend as possible... Charlie sighed internally, this was going to be a very uncomfortable night on the edge of the bed for Stan. 

Or maybe... not...

The morning after the get-together arrived and a certain blonde Knight bus conductor found himself embraced by strong arms and pressed up against a hard chest. Pressed against Charlie...  
Oh god! Stan nearly jumped out of bed, which resulted in him stumbling over his pants and crashing into the nightstand, waking Charlie in the process: “Stan? You alright?”, the redhead casted a quick tempus: “It‘s only three in the morning!“, Stan, slowly taking on the colour of the others hair, said a lot of gibberish before grabbing his clothes and stalking out the door...

Charlie, still a little bit sleepy, saw this exact moment to be the moment to take his chance and followed the conductor downstairs, careful to be as quiet as possible... “Stan? Can I talk to you for a bit? I know you’ve got the early shift today, but it doesn’t start this early, eh?”, walking into the kitchen, he saw his friend pulling his shirt on and fumbling excessively with its buttons. Without waiting for the blondes, who probably hadn’t even heard him, answer, Charlie started to say what he had been practicing over and over in his head: ”I never thought I would feel what it's like to be in love."  
Stan looked up at him, startled. Had he said in love? “You're really great. I like you...Or in other words, I fancy you, I love you, I want you, I can't leave you, I... whatever... you...” The freckled man hadn’t even realised how his well practiced confession had turned into a slight ramble and how he had started looking at his feet rather than Stan, but now he looked up, hope in his eyes. „Are you joking? Is this a prank?“, Stan was eying him extremely distrusting and was that hurt in his eyes? „No! No, I‘d never joke about something like this... I meant every word, I... I enjoy every minute with you more than with any other person outside of my family, I like the sound of your voice and laugh, I think that-“  
“I love you, too," the other blurted out. "I've loved you since the first second I saw you again on the Knight Bus after we finished school...” „ wait, what?”, Charlie, despite having hoped for exact this answer, was stunned into silence. “I said....”, The blonde of the two turned his head slightly, wanting to hide the embarrassing blush that was creeping up his neck.  
Charlie chuckled nervously. The awkwardness was getting out of hand, so he took a step forward, and another and another, until he knew, that Stan could probably feel his breath on his cheek and than he leaned down and-

Harry, being the light sleeper he was, had been sucked out of dreamland, the moment he heard someone a floor above him crash into something... Quickly realising he was at the Burrow he calmed down his racing heart, before swinging his legs out of bed and creeping to the door.  
Someone was racing down the stairs... rather clumsily to be truthful. Harry kept listening and sure enough a second person came creeping downstairs as well. Only when the former Gryffindor heard muffled voices from the kitchen did he leave his room to see what was actually going on at what, quarter past three in the morning?!  
Pretty soon he was able to digest Charlie’s voice from the gibberish that he could hear through the closed kitchen door and decided that literally nothing that one Charlie Weasley could be up to at this time could be to personal for him to disrupt after robbing him of his good nights rest. So he walked in... on a rather unexpected scene. “Uhm... Charlie? St-Stan? Is this what I think it is or?”

Stan literally melted into the kitchen counter to get as far away from Charlie as possible, good god, why did his life have to be this awkward. “Probably, eventually... No it’s definitely not what you think it is, it just happens to look like it, but it’s not!”, nice way of not making it even more obvious and awkward...  
“It’s not?”, Now Charlie was looking at him with the most cocky grin, had he no shame?! They stared at each other and maybe moved closer again so much, that Harry cleared his throat once and said something about not really caring anyhow and how he was wishing them a good night, because he was going to go to bed again. So the two of them were alone again and they were close now and so... Charlie kissed Stan.  
It was a pure kiss, just the pressing of lips against lips, but it felt like the most wonderful kiss both of them had ever experienced.

Looking back on that exact morning a few years into their relationship Charlie thought that taking that chance was one of his very best decisions and Stan... well, he just wished that he had fallen for someone who wasn’t intent on driving him crazy every other day...


End file.
